Fastening together sheets of expanded metal



W. E. MACK 2,415,830 FASTENING TOGETHER' SHEETS 0F EXPANDED METAIJ` l Feb. 18, 1947.

Filed sept.- so, 1945 2 sheets-sheet 2 Way/7@ Mack Patented Feb. 18, 1947 QFIC' FASTENING TGGETHER SHEETS F EXPANDED METAL Wayne E. Mack, Martins Ferry, Ohio, assigner,

by mesne assignments, to Wheeling Steel Corporation, Wheeling, W. Va., a corporation of Delaware Application September 30, 1943, Serial No. 504,352

This invention relates to fastening together sheets of expanded metal and particularly fastening together sheets of expanded metal to prevent separation of the sheets b-y relative movement in the plane of the sheets. v

While the invention is of broad application it is especially wel] adapted for use in the making of road expediente, landing mats and the like which require the assembly of sheets of expanded metal so that when they are laid on the ground they will remain in predetermined relationship. Provision is made for ready disassembly of the sheets when desired.

I provide means for fastening together sheets of expanded metal comprising stop means connected with one sheet of expanded metal adapte-d to abut a portion of another sheet of expanded metal when the sheets are disposed with edges overlapping. Preferably the stop means is of hook form and is disposed at a point removed from the edge of the sheet to which it is connected and adapted to engagean edge portion of another sheet. Preferably the stop member is connected with a sheet of expanded metal at a bond thereof where two strands are joined together. I nd it desirable to connect the stop member with one strand of the expanded metal at a bond and to form the stop member so as to project from said bond generally in the plane of the sheet and with its end portion turned so as to intersect the plane of the sheet and extend generally in the direction of the other strand at said bend so as to engage over a portion of another sheet of expanded metal when the sheets are disposed in overlapping relation with correspending parts intertting to prevent separation of the sheets by relative movement in the plane of the sheets. I preferably weld a number of stop members to each sheet along a line parallel to but removed from one edge thereof.

I also provide a composite structure comprising two sheets of expanded metal disposed in overlapping relation and nested at their edges and means connected with one of the sheets and engaging the other when the sheets are in said position to prevent separation of the sheets by relative movement in the plane of the sheets.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of a present preferred embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a present preferred embodiment of the invention, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a sheet 1 Claim. (Cl. 189-36) of expanded ymetal having means for fastening it to a similar sheet;

l Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the overlapped edges of two sheets of expanded metal fastened together in accordance with my invention;

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the line III-III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating how the sheets are assembled;

Figure 5 is an end View of one of the fastening or stop means; and

Figure 6 is a front view thereof.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown in Figure l a sheet of expanded metal designated generally by reference numeral 2. Due to the small scale of the figure no attempt has been made therein to depict the ldetails of the expanded metal but simply to show it diagrammatically. The expanded metal is shown in detail in Figures 2, 3 and 4. It is of conventional form as made on a guillotine type expanded metal making machine and for most purposes will be what is known as heavy mesh Weighing in the neighborhood of three to four pounds per square foot and having a thickness of the order of one-third of an inch. In a preferred form of structure the width of the strands may be about one-half inch, the Width of the diamonds may be about three inches on centers and the length of the diamonds may be about eight inches on centers. The sheets may be of any desired size, as, for example, four feet wide by twelve feet long.

The expanded metal has the usual strands 3 connected together at bonds 4. As is well known, the entire sheet of expanded metal is an integral piece of metal made from a sheet or plate. The strands are severed from one another for limited distances along the plate and are then stretched to form the conventional diamonds.

Connected with the sheet 2, as, for example, by welding, is a roW of fastening or stop members each designated generally by reference numeral 5. As shown in Figure 1, these stop members are aligned in the direction parallel to the length of the diamonds and each is Welded to the sheet at one of the bonds ll. The shape of the stop member is shown in Figures 5 and 6 and its relationship to the sheet is shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The stop member comprises a relatively Wide base portion 6 whereat it is welded to a bond of the expanded metal, Projecting from the base portion 6 but extending at an angle thereto as clearly shown in Figure 5 is a neck portion 1, The

outer part of the base portion 6 (i. e., the part most remote from the expanded metal to which it is welded) is designated 6a and is spaced from the expanded metal to provide for reception of a portion of an edge of another sheet of expanded metal between a portion of the expanded metal of the sheet to which the stop member is connected and said part 6a. ln the structure shown in the drawings each of the stop members `5 is connected with one strand of the expanded metalv at a bond 4 where two strands are joined together and the stop member projects from the bond generally in the plane of the sheet as shown in Figures 3 and 4 and has its end or neck portion 1 turned so as to intersect the plane of the sheet and extend generally in the direction of the other strand at said bond. The stop members are disclosed one diamond removed from the edge of the sheet.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate how two of the sheets 2 with the stop members, applied thereto are fastened together. Referring to Figure 4, the left-hand sheet viewing that ligure is rst laid on the ground with its stop member pointing downwardly as shown. Another like sheet then has the diamonds at its edge which is opposite Vthe edge nearest which the stop members are applied positioned in the diamonds into which the stop members project. In order to do this with the rst sheet lying on the ground the second sheet is held in more or less vertical position. The edge diamonds of the second sheet enter the diamonds of the first sheet into which the stop means project as shown in Figure 4, after which the second sheet is turned down generally clockwise viewing Figure 4 until it is substantially coplanar with the rst sheet but lies in overlapping relationship therewith, nested one diamond. When the sheets are in that position corresponding parts intert as is well known to those skilled in the expanded metal art. The interitting sheets are shown in plan view in Figure 2 and in cross section in Figure 4.

When the sheets are Yin interfitting position as shown in Figures 2 and 3 they cannot move relatively to one another unless one of them is turned substantially out of the plane ofthe sheets to be disengaged from the other in the reverse of the manner of engagement above described. The sheets form a composite structure which is to all intents and purposes integral so far as transmission of forces in the plane of the structure is concerned. The sheets cannot move toward or away from each other but can only remain in the position shown. They can, however, to a certain extent adapt themselves to unevenness in the ground.

The stress exerted between adjacent sheets under load is transmitted largely by the metal of the sheets themselves rather than by the stop members 5, although the stop members participate in the stresses by maintaining the sheets in nested relationship.

The stop means do not extend substantially above the upper plane of the sheets and do not interfere with use of the structure as a road expedient, landing mat or other surface requiring substantial flatness. There are no separate fastening means which may be lost or mislaid, the sheets being fastened together solely by the self-contained stop means.

While I have shown and described a present preferred embodiment of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not a. limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

Means for fastening together sheets of expanded metal comprising a member connected with one sheet of expanded metal at a point removed from the edge of the sheet and lying entirely below the upper plane of the sheet, said member extending generally toward the edge 0f the sheet and having its end turned toward the lower plane of the sheet to holdingly engage a portion of another sheet of expanded metal.

WAYNE E. MACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,721,396 Humphris July 16, 1929 1,591,328 Lachman July 6, 1926 2,332,968 Greulich Oct. 26, 1943 2,282,519 Holmes May 12, 1942 2,131,670 Redding et al Sept. 27, 1938 

